If you want to visit just any area in the Amazon in the hope to get to see many large animals of the tropical forest you may be disappointed, as much of the animals vary in size anywhere from the size of a dog to no more than a song bird On the other hand, the Amazon Rainforest is home to more animals than any other forest is full of different species of fauna of the of the most stunning colors. Take the colors of some of the birds; they are incredible. There are the different species of Macaws, the Cocks of the Rock, the trogons, the Quetzals and all those splendid song birds. and then there are the butterflies, the amphibians and snakes, many of which have wonderful colors.
While half of the species on earth are found in the rainforests of the humid tropical forest of the Amazon and the Andes, the Ecuadorian jungles have the greatest biological diversity of them all. As the weather conditions on the equator have much less variation than elsewhere in the Amazon, rainy conditions prevail during most of the year, while the dry seasons are short and not really all that dry. Droughts are the main limiting factor to species that need the moist conditions of the humid tropical forest.
Yasuni National Park and Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve are the two main Amazon parks of Ecuador, each covering more than 2000 sq miles of virgin forest. Yasuni is the larger one and is most likely somewhat greater biodiversity . However, Cuyabeno is much better for observing wildlife. This is cause by the following conditions: Cuyabeno has a network of lakes that are connected by streams. The importance of this is as follows. When walking through the Amazon Rainforest, the contrast between the sky and the of the canopy make the latter look almost black and it is very difficult to distinguish animals.
Most of the Amazon fauna, like monkeys (10 species in Cuyabeno) and birds (approaching 600 recorded species), move about along the tree crowns, and it is extremely difficult to actually see wildlife from the ground. When one is on the water, however, the trees along the small rivers are a bit lower and the branches hang all the way to the ground. As a result, the light falls onto the branches and leaves rather than through them and the fauna along the river are much more visible while the daylight can penetrate from the opening in the canopy and fall onto the perching birds and mammals. This situation only occurs in Cuyabeno the Cuyabeno National Park and nowhere else in the Andes countries with Amazon rainforest. Closeness to the Andes mountains gives an additional benefit as they are also still home to quite a few Andes species, thus giving them additional variety of species.
Moreover, many aquatic animals would not occur as much in terrestrial protected areas. Cuyabeno Wildlife reserve is known for its cayman, huge anacondas, both species of Amazon dolphins, capibaras, manatees, Giant Otters, among other things. And then of course there are a great number of water birds, as well as famous fish species, like piranhas, huge catfish, electric eels and countless little colorful tropical fishes. A true El Dorado for people who love to observe wildlife.
The beautiful lakes and slow-flowing connecting creeks, the outstanding conditions to see animals, the great accessibility, and the affordable prices all contribute to the fact that many consider Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve the greatest national park of the Amazon region. Ecuador is the best country to go, both for researchers and tourists who like to study or simply get to know the rainforest.
While half of the species on earth are found in the rainforests of the humid tropical forest of the Amazon and the Andes, the Ecuadorian jungles have the greatest biological diversity of them all. As the weather conditions on the equator have much less variation than elsewhere in the Amazon, rainy conditions prevail during most of the year, while the dry seasons are short and not really all that dry. Droughts are the main limiting factor to species that need the moist conditions of the humid tropical forest.
Yasuni National Park and Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve are the two main Amazon parks of Ecuador, each covering more than 2000 sq miles of virgin forest. Yasuni is the larger one and is most likely somewhat greater biodiversity . However, Cuyabeno is much better for observing wildlife. This is cause by the following conditions: Cuyabeno has a network of lakes that are connected by streams. The importance of this is as follows. When walking through the Amazon Rainforest, the contrast between the sky and the of the canopy make the latter look almost black and it is very difficult to distinguish animals.
Most of the Amazon fauna, like monkeys (10 species in Cuyabeno) and birds (approaching 600 recorded species), move about along the tree crowns, and it is extremely difficult to actually see wildlife from the ground. When one is on the water, however, the trees along the small rivers are a bit lower and the branches hang all the way to the ground. As a result, the light falls onto the branches and leaves rather than through them and the fauna along the river are much more visible while the daylight can penetrate from the opening in the canopy and fall onto the perching birds and mammals. This situation only occurs in Cuyabeno the Cuyabeno National Park and nowhere else in the Andes countries with Amazon rainforest. Closeness to the Andes mountains gives an additional benefit as they are also still home to quite a few Andes species, thus giving them additional variety of species.
Moreover, many aquatic animals would not occur as much in terrestrial protected areas. Cuyabeno Wildlife reserve is known for its cayman, huge anacondas, both species of Amazon dolphins, capibaras, manatees, Giant Otters, among other things. And then of course there are a great number of water birds, as well as famous fish species, like piranhas, huge catfish, electric eels and countless little colorful tropical fishes. A true El Dorado for people who love to observe wildlife.
The beautiful lakes and slow-flowing connecting creeks, the outstanding conditions to see animals, the great accessibility, and the affordable prices all contribute to the fact that many consider Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve the greatest national park of the Amazon region. Ecuador is the best country to go, both for researchers and tourists who like to study or simply get to know the rainforest.
About the Author:
Wesley Vanderhill is a conservationist who have been helping to protect tropical rainforests through great ecotours and building Rainforest lodges as well as other great programs to enjoy nature.
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